Aerosol Generator

ABSTRACT

An aerosol generator device has an elongate body with an interior passageway extending longitudinally to its mouth end. The device receives an interchangeable, pressurised canister charged with a nicotine containing liquid that is discharged in a metered dose on manual actuation of a button member that causes a valve in the canister to open and discharge through a discharge tube. A sleeve releaseably couples the canister to the body. The button member is slidably mounted on the body for reciprocal movement along a trigger axis Y-Y′ extending transversely of the longitudinal axis X-X′ of the device, and has a manually depressible surface portion and a camming surface portion that drives a slidable nozzle member to press the discharge tube inwardly of the canister to open its valve and release liquid into the nozzle member. Nozzle forms an aerosol from the liquid, which is delivered to the consumer through outlets in the mouth end of the device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an aerosol generator which may be portable andhandheld, to deliver aerosol to the mouth of a consumer, for exampleaerosol containing nicotine.

BACKGROUND

A nicotine dispensing aerosol device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,945,929, which simulates a smoking article such as a cigarette,without having to burn tobacco.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an improved aerosol generator device that can beoperated manually by a consumer to deliver aerosol, for example to theirmouth.

An embodiment of the invention provides an aerosol generator device thatincludes an elongate body having a proximal mouth end, a distal end andan interior passageway extending longitudinally to the mouth end. Acoupling to the body is configured for releasably coupling a fluidcontaining pressurised canister having an axial discharge tubedepressible inwardly to open a valve therein to release the fluidthrough the discharge tube, with the canister and the passageway havinga common longitudinal axis. A trigger is mounted on the body toreciprocate along a trigger axis extending transversely of thelongitudinal axis, the trigger having a manually depressible surfaceportion facing outwardly of the body, and a camming surface portionoperable on depression of the manually depressible surface portioninwardly of the body along the trigger axis, to press the discharge tubeinwardly of the canister and operate the valve so as to release fluidfrom the canister through the discharge tube and through the body to themouth end.

A tubular nozzle member may be slidably mounted in the body, the nozzlemember having an end to abut the tube of the canister and a triggerengaging end that engages the camming surface portion of the trigger sothat said inward depression of the trigger drives the nozzle membertowards the distal end of the body member to drive the discharge tubeinwardly of the canister to operate the valve and release the fluidthrough the tube and the nozzle.

The body may have a generally tubular sidewall, the interior passagewayextending from the distal end to the mouth end, and a trigger chamberextending outwardly from the interior passageway into the sidewall, thetrigger being slidably mounted in the trigger chamber for reciprocalmovement along the trigger axis, with the depressible surface portion ofthe trigger being disposed adjacent the exterior surface of the bodymember.

The coupling may include a sleeve adapted to grip the canister at oneend and releaseably attached to the distal end of the body at the otherend.

The trigger may comprise a manually depressible button, and the body cancomprise a generally cylindrical button housing and a generallycylindrical mouth end attached thereto, the button being mounted in thebutton housing to reciprocate along the trigger axis.

The manually depressible surface portion of the trigger may comprise acylindrical surface generally coaxial with the button housing. The mouthend may include a filter plug.

The nozzle may include one or more radially extending lugs and thetrigger may include one or more depending flanges with an inclined edgethat engages a respective lug to provide the camming surface portion.

The canister may be generally cylindrical, with a valve configured torelease a metered dose of fluid.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, embodimentsthereof will now be described by way of illustrative example withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is side view of an aerosol generator device;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view the aerosol generator device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 a is a partial sectional view of the device shown FIGS. 1 to 3 ina rest configuration

FIG. 4 b corresponds to FIG. 4 a with the device in an operative,discharge configuration;

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are partial side views showing interior features ofthe device in the rest and operative discharge configurationsrespectively;

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are sectional views along the line Y-Y′ of FIG. 5 inthe rest and operative discharge configurations respectively;

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are partial sectional views showing interior featuresof the device in the rest and operative discharge configurationsrespectively;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view from one end of a coupling sleeve forattaching a canister to the body of the device;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the nozzle member of the device; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the nozzle member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the aerosol generator device comprises anelongate, generally tubular body 1, with a longitudinal axis X-X′, whichreceives an interchangeable, vessel comprising a generally cylindrical,coaxial, pressurised canister 2 that contains a liquid propellant suchas HFA 134 a and a substance to be provided as a aerosol to theconsumer. A coupling sleeve 3 allows the canister 2 to be attached andreplaced by another on the body 1 when the contents of the canister havebeen consumed by the user.

The contents of the canister 2 may comprise a nicotine-containing liquidwith or without additional flavourants, so as to simulate a smokingarticle such as a cigarette although it will be appreciated that othercompositions may be provided within the canister 2.

The body 1 has a proximal, mouth end 4 and a distal end 5 to which thecanister 2 is attached by the sleeve 3. The body 1 comprises a buttonhousing 6 that receives a trigger in the form of a manually depressiblebutton 7 for actuating the device, and a generally cylindrical, coaxialmouth end housing 8 that delivers an aerosol formed from liquid from thecanister 2, to the mouth of the consumer through circumferential outletslots 9.

The device may be dimensioned to be of a similar size to a conventionalsmoking article such as a cigarette, so that the mouth end 4 can bereceived between the lips of the consumer. The mouth end housing 8 mayresemble the filter tip of a conventional cigarette visually. The devicecan be held between the fingers of the consumer's hand and the button 7operated to dispense a metered dose of aerosol of fluid from thecanister 2 into the consumer's mouth.

As illustrated in the exploded view of FIG. 3, the button housing 6 isgenerally tubular with a trigger opening 10 through which the button 7protrudes. The button 7 is retained in the button housing by means of abutton retainer strip 11 that is welded, glued or otherwise attached tothe underside of the button 7 within the housing 6 to engage theperimeter of the trigger opening 10 on the inside and so limit thetravel of the button outwardly, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The button 7 engages a tubular discharge nozzle 12 slidably mountedwithin the button housing to drive it towards the canister 2 todischarge a metered dose of fluid from the canister, as will beexplained in more detail hereinafter.

A filter plug 13 absorbs any excess liquid that may accumulate withmultiple actuations of the device. The filter plug 13 may be formed forexample of cellulose acetate material and can be arranged coaxiallywithin the mouth end housing 8 to capture larger size droplets in theaerosol emanating from the discharge nozzle, which tend to be dischargedat angles closer to the axis of the device than smaller size droplets.It is desirable to supply smaller size droplets to the mouth of theconsumer for ease of adsorption and the circumferential disposition ofthe slots 9 along with the provision the axially disposed filter plugcontributes to this outcome. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the filter plug13 is retained in an inner cylindrical mounting 14 from which extendfirst and second semi-circular section baffle plates 15 (only one shownin FIG. 4) which tend to direct larger size aerosol droplets towards thefilter plug 13 and allow smaller size droplets to pass through thecircumferential gap between the cylindrical body of the mouth endhousing 8 and the baffle plates 15 to the outlet slots 9 at the mouthend. For further details, reference is directed to the publishedpamphlet WO 2009/135729 incorporated herein in its entirety byreference.

Referring to FIG. 3, the canister 2 comprises a generally cylindricalcanister body 16 that contains a valve with a valve stem in the form ofa discharge tube 17 configured so that when pressed axially inwardly ofthe canister, a metered dose of the pressurised fluid within thecanister is discharged through the tube 17 into the nozzle 12.

The interior structure of the canister 2 is shown in the sectional viewsof FIGS. 4 and 7, mounted for operation on the body 1. The canister ismounted with its longitudinal axis aligned with the longitudinal axisX-X′ of the device, for dispensing aerosol from the discharge tube 17into the nozzle 12 towards the mouth end 4. Referring to FIGS. 7 a and 7b, valve 18 in the canister 2 delivers a metered dose of the pressurisedcontents of the canister through aperture 19 into the discharge tube 17when it is slid axially inwardly of the canister against the force ofspring 20, which urges the tube outwardly to keep the valve 18 normallyclosed with the aperture disconnected from the interior contents of thecanister. A supply pipe 21 feeds the pressurised contents of thecanister 2 to the inlet of valve 18 and has a curved end 21 a.

When fitting a canister 2, it is desirable to arrange its supply pipe 21so that its curved end 21 a is directed generally downwardly in use toensure that substantially all of the liquid contents can be consumed andcoupling between the canister and the body is configured for thispurpose, as will now be explained. The valve 18 is held in the canisterbody 16 by a circumferentially crimped ferrule 22. The crimping isarranged in circular grooves 23 a and 23 b shown in FIG. 3. Referring toFIG. 8, the coupling sleeve 3 has interior circular lip 24 with radialteeth 25 that is push-fitted onto the canister so that the lip 24engages in the groove 23 b and the teeth 24 engage the crimping toprevent rotation of the canister in the coupling sleeve 3. Referring toFIG. 7 a, the sleeve 3 has a thread 26 on its proximal end that engageswith a corresponding thread 27 on the distal end of the button body 6.Referring to FIG. 8, stop 28 is formed on the thread 26 of the couplingsleeve, so that when threadingly engaged fully on the button body, thecoupling sleeve 3 and button body 6 adopt a fixed rotational position toone another. By providing a mark on the canister 2 referencing theinterior disposition of the inlet supply pipe 21 and a reference mark onthe coupling sleeve 3, the canister 2 can be fitted to the sleeve withthe marks aligned, so that when the sleeve 3 is screwed onto the body 6,the inlet supply tube extends downwardly when the longitudinal axis X-X′is disposed generally horizontally and button 7 is disposed upwardly.

The nozzle member 12 is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 9 and 10 andcomprises a generally tubular body 29 with an internal axial passageway30 that comprises a nozzle bore with a step 31 towards is distal end,that engages the discharge tube 17, so that fluid from the canister 2 isdischarged from the tube 17 into the passageway 30. The passageway 30also includes a region of restricted diameter that defines a nozzle 32to create an aerosol of the contents discharged from the canister 2 intothe bore 30, the aerosol being directed into the body 1 towards themouth end 4.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the nozzle member 12 includes diametricallyopposed flats 33 that are received in corresponding grooves (not shown)in the button housing 6 to prevent rotation of the nozzle member when itmoves back and forth. Also, the nozzle member 12 includes first andsecond diametrically opposed lugs 34 a, 34 b which engage with thebutton member 7 for sliding the nozzle member 12 back and forth axiallyas described in more detail hereinafter.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the button housing 6 and the mouth endhousing 8 of the body 1 provide an interior passageway 35 extending fromthe distal end 5 to the mouth end 4. The trigger opening 10 extendsthrough the side wall of the button housing and receives the buttonmember 7 for sliding movement back and forth along a trigger axis Y-Y′shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 orthogonal to the longitudinal axis X-X′.

The button member 7 comprises a manually depressible upper surface 36which is generally part cylindrical and coaxial with the longitudinalaxis X-X′, and first and second depending flanges 38 a, 38 b disposed onopposite sides of the longitudinal axis X-X′. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6the flange 38 a of the button member 6 slidingly engages with the lug 34a and 34 b of the nozzle member 12, and the flange 38 a has a cammingsurface portion 39 a that is inclined to the trigger axis Y-Y′ so thatas the button member is depressed manually inwardly along the triggeraxis Y-Y′ against the lug 34 a, the nozzle member 12 slides towards thecanister 2 in the longitudinal axial direction X-X′ from a rest positionshown in FIGS. 5 a and 6 a to discharge position shown in FIGS. 5 b and6 b. The flange 38 a also has a non-inclined end surface portion 40 awhich engages the lug 34 a in the rest position shown in FIGS. 5 a and 6a. The arrangement is configured so that the nozzle member 12 is pressedagainst the force of the spring 20 of the canister 2, with a force thatdoes not open the valve 18 of the canister but provides apre-compression of the spring which facilitates manual operation of thebutton member and also resiliently drives the button member outwardly toretain it in the rest position shown, when released by the user.

It will be understood that the flange 38 b is similarly configured witha camming surface portion 39 b and end portion 40 b that engage lug 34 bon the opposite side of the axis X-X′, with the result that axiallysymmetric forces are applied by the button member 7 to the nozzle member12.

The device is also shown in the rest position and the discharge positionin the sectional views of FIGS. 4 a and 7 a (rest position) and FIGS. 4b and 7 b (discharge position). It can be seen that when the buttonmember is depressed inwardly, the nozzle member 12 is slid by the buttonmember axially towards the canister 2, so as to depress the dischargetube 17 inwardly of the canister 2 so that the valve 18 releases ametered dose of liquid from the canister 2, which is discharged throughthe tube 17 into the bore 30 of the nozzle member 12. The liquid passesthrough nozzle 32 where it is formed into an aerosol 41 that passes intothe mouth end housing 8. Larger diameter aerosol droplets tend to beejected from the nozzle 32 closer to the axial centreline X-X′ thansmaller diameter droplets and tend to be collected by the filter plug13, whereas the smaller diameter droplets pass to the outlet slots 9 inthe mouth end 4, for consumption by the user.

On release of the button member 7 after the aerosol discharge, itreciprocates along the trigger axis Y-Y′ back to the rest position dueto the resilience of the spring 20, which drives the discharge tube 17and the nozzle member 12 away from the canister along the axis X-X′, sothat the lugs 34 a and 34 b and the camming surfaces 39 a and 39 b urgethe button member 7 to slide outwardly along axis Y-Y′.

Many modifications and variations within the scope of the claimedinvention will be evident to those skilled in the art. For exampledifferent releasable fixings for the canister on the body may beutilised. In particular, the coupling sleeve may be configured to bemore closely aligned with the cylindrical shape of the canister andmouthpiece housing. Also, other fixings may be used such as a bayonetcoupling.

Also whilst the described examples of generator device are generallycylindrical with a circular cross section, other cross sectional shapescan be used, such as rectangular or triangular.

Furthermore, although the canister is described as an interchangeableelement to allow the supply of liquid to be replenished, an integralpressurised supply vessel may be provided in the device, so that thedevice can be used multiple times and then discarded once the liquidsupply has been exhausted from the vessel. In a modification, an inletvalve may be provided to allow the supply to be replenished from anexterior, pressurised source.

The valve 18 described herein is configured to deliver a metered dose onactuation but instead, a continuous flow valve could be used such thatthe consumer can maintain a flow of aerosol by continuously depressingthe trigger.

The mouth end can be configured differently from that shown in theFigures. For example the mouth end could be a tapered cylindrical shapewith flat piece for easy positioning and orientation cue in the mouth.Also, textured or rough finishes can be applied to the exterior surfaceof the mouthpiece to stimulate sensation in the lips.

The supply tube of the pressurised canister may be of flexibleconstruction and provided with a weighted end as to always assume thelowest position in the canister orientation and allow for completeconsumption of the canister contents.

Also, the mouthpiece may be detachable and this may permit the filterplug to be changed.

Other inventive variations and aspects of the disclosure may includeother non-limiting embodiments. For example, in one embodiment, anaerosol generator device may comprise an elongate body having a proximalmouth end, a distal end and an interior passageway extendinglongitudinally to the mouth end, a coupling for releasably coupling tothe body, a fluid containing pressurised canister having an axialdischarge tube depressible inwardly to open a valve therein to releasethe fluid through the discharge tube, with the canister and thepassageway having a common longitudinal axis, and a trigger mounted onthe body to reciprocate along a trigger axis extending transversely ofthe longitudinal axis, the trigger having a manually depressible surfaceportion facing outwardly of the body, and a camming surface portionoperable on depression of the manually depressible surface portioninwardly of the body along the trigger axis, to press the discharge tubeinwardly of the canister and operate the valve so as to release fluidfrom the canister through the discharge tube and through the body to themouth end.

In one implementation, the aerosol generator device may include atubular nozzle member slidably mounted in the body, the nozzle memberhaving an end to abut the tube of the canister and a trigger engagingend that engages the camming surface portion of the trigger so that saidinward depression of the trigger drives the nozzle member towards thedistal end of the body member to drive the discharge tube inwardly ofthe canister to operate the valve and release the fluid through the tubeand the nozzle.

In one implementation, the body may include a generally tubularsidewall, the interior passageway extending from the distal end to themouth end, and a trigger opening that extends from the interiorpassageway through the sidewall, the trigger being slidably mounted inthe trigger opening for reciprocal movement along the trigger axis.

In one implementation, the aerosol generator device may include acoupling that includes a sleeve adapted to grip the canister at one endand releaseably attached to the distal end of the body at the other end.

In one implementation, the trigger may comprise a manually depressiblebutton, and the body may comprise a generally cylindrical button housingand a generally cylindrical mouth end attached thereto, wherein thebutton is mounted in the button housing to reciprocate along the triggeraxis. In a further implementation, the manually depressible surfaceportion of the trigger may comprise a cylindrical surface generallycoaxial with the button housing.

In one implementation, the mouth end may include a filter plug therein.

In one implementation, the nozzle may include a radially extending lugand the trigger may include a depending flange with an inclined edgethat engages the lug to provide the camming surface portion. In oneimplementation, the aerosol generator may include a further lug on thenozzle, said lugs being disposed diametrically opposite one another, andthe trigger may include a further depending flange, said flanges beingdisposed on opposite sides of the axis of the body to engage the lugsrespectively.

In one implementation, the aerosol generator device may include thecanister. In a further implementation the canister may be generallycylindrical and may have a valve therein configured to release a metereddose of fluid.

In one implementation, the aerosol generator may have a detachablemouthpiece at the mouth end.

In another embodiment, the aerosol generator device may comprise anelongate body having a proximal mouth end, a distal end and an interiorpassageway extending longitudinally to the mouth end, a fluid supplyvessel for containing pressurised fluid, having a valve and a dischargetube depressible inwardly to open the valve to release fluid through thedischarge tube, with the vessel and the passageway having a commonlongitudinal axis, and a trigger mounted on the body to reciprocatealong a trigger axis extending transversely of the longitudinal axis,the trigger having a manually depressible surface portion facingoutwardly of the body, and a camming surface portion operable ondepression of the manually depressible surface portion inwardly of thebody along the trigger axis, to press the discharge tube inwardly of thecanister and operate the valve so as to release fluid from the canisterthrough the discharge tube and through the body to the mouth end.

In one implementation, the vessel may be interchangeable.

In one implementation, said fluid may include nicotine and a propellant.

1. An aerosol generator device comprising: an elongate body having aproximal mouth end, a distal end and an interior passageway extendinglongitudinally to the mouth end, a coupling for releasably coupling tothe body, a fluid containing pressurised canister having an axialdischarge tube that on inward depression is configured to open a valvetherein and release the fluid through the discharge tube, with thecanister and the passageway having a common longitudinal axis, and atrigger mounted on the body and configured to reciprocate along atrigger axis extending transversely of the longitudinal axis, thetrigger having a manually depressible surface portion facing outwardlyof the body, and a camming surface portion operable on depression of themanually depressible surface portion inwardly of the body along thetrigger axis, such that pressing the discharge tube inwardly of thecanister operates the valve such that fluid from the canister isreleased through the discharge tube and through the body to the mouthend.
 2. The aerosol generator device according to claim 1, including atubular nozzle member slidably mounted in the body, the nozzle memberhaving an end to abut the tube of the canister and a trigger engagingend that engages the camming surface portion of the trigger so that saidinward depression of the trigger operates the valve and releases thefluid through the tube and the nozzle by: driving the nozzle membertowards the distal end of the body; and driving the discharge tubeinwardly of the canister.
 3. The aerosol generator device according toclaim 2, wherein the body includes a generally tubular sidewall, theinterior passageway extending from the distal end to the mouth end, anda trigger opening that extends from the interior passageway through thesidewall, the trigger being slidably mounted in the trigger opening forreciprocal movement along the trigger axis.
 4. The aerosol generatordevice according to claim 1, wherein the coupling includes a sleeveconfigured to grip the canister at one end and to releaseably attach tothe distal end of the body at the other end.
 5. The aerosol generatordevice according to claim 2, wherein the trigger comprises a manuallydepressible button, and the body comprises a generally cylindricalbutton housing and a generally cylindrical mouth end attached thereto,wherein the button is mounted in the button housing and is configured toreciprocate along the trigger axis.
 6. The aerosol generator deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the manually depressible surface portionof the trigger comprises a cylindrical surface generally coaxial withthe button housing.
 7. The aerosol generator device according to claim5, wherein the mouth end includes a filter plug therein.
 8. The aerosolgenerator device according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle includes aradially extending lug and the trigger includes a depending flange withan inclined edge that engages the lug to provide the camming surfaceportion.
 9. The aerosol generator device according to claim 8, whereinthe nozzle includes a second lug, said lugs being disposed diametricallyopposite one another, and the trigger includes a second dependingflange, said flanges being disposed on opposite sides of the axis of thebody to engage the lugs respectively.
 10. The aerosol generator deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising the canister coupled to thebody.
 11. The aerosol generator device according to claim 10, whereinthe canister is generally cylindrical and has a valve therein configuredto release a metered dose of fluid.
 12. The aerosol generator deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising a detachable mouthpiece at themouth end.
 13. An aerosol generator device comprising: an elongate bodyhaving a proximal mouth end, a distal end and an interior passagewayextending longitudinally to the mouth end; a fluid supply vessel forcontaining pressurised fluid, having a valve and a discharge tube, whichon inward depression is configured to open the valve to release fluidthrough the discharge tube, with the vessel and the passageway having acommon longitudinal axis; and a trigger mounted on the body andconfigured to reciprocate along a trigger axis extending transversely ofthe longitudinal axis, the trigger having a manually depressible surfaceportion facing outwardly of the body, and a camming surface portionoperable on depression of the manually depressible surface portioninwardly of the body along the trigger axis, the trigger configured topress the discharge tube inwardly of the canister and operate the valveso as to release fluid from the canister through the discharge tube andthrough the body to the mouth end.
 14. The aerosol generator deviceaccording to claim 13, wherein the vessel is interchangeable.
 15. Theaerosol generator device according to claim 13, wherein said fluidincludes nicotine and a propellant.
 16. An aerosol generator device,comprising: an elongate body having a proximal mouth end, a distal endand an interior passageway extending longitudinally to the mouth end; acoupling comprising a sleeve that grips a canister at one end andattaches to the distal end of the body at the other end; and a triggermounted on the body, wherein the trigger comprises: a depressiblesurface portion and a camming surface portion; wherein the cammingsurface portion, on actuation of the depressible surface portion along atrigger axis extending transversely to the longitudinal axis, engages acanister valve to release fluid from the canister through the passagewayto the mouth end.
 17. The aerosol generator device according to claim16, further comprising the canister that engages the coupling sleeve atone end and attaches to the distal end of the body at the other end. 18.The aerosol generator device according to claim 17, wherein the canisterfurther comprises an inwardly depressible discharge tube that engagesthe canister valve to release the fluid from the canister.
 19. Theaerosol generator device according to claim 16, wherein the mouth endengages a detachable mouthpiece.